 This is the way to do it, this is the way to do it, this is the way to do it, this is the way to do it, this is the way to do it With cases of gender-based violence on the rise, mental health is becoming an important topic to discuss Eunice Okoth and Witne Demo are here to help create awareness Eunice and Witne, Kariboni, tell us a bit about who you are Ok, I'm Okoth Eunice, I work with Tinnada Youth Organization And Tinnada Youth Organization, we were based at Miguosi, but currently now we are based at Tomboyah Estate near St. Francis, Healthside Hospital My name is Witne Demo, I work at Tinnada Youth Organization as a Psychosocial Officer So you're talking about Tinnada Youth Organization, tell us about it, what is it, what is done there, what are the activities done there So just to start us off, Tinnada is not an abbreviation, it's a full name The founder of the organization started it from, he started the organization using the vision of the grandmother Who was passionate about education, who was passionate about women and the vulnerable people Who was also passionate about empowerment and so out of it the grandmother was called Christine And since in low, grandmother is called Diana, so a short form of Christine is Tinnada So Tinnada Youth Organization, it is a youth-led organization and it is also a youth-focused organization That operates in the western region of Kenya, that is more of the lakeside region And we operate in Kisumu County, Koma Bay, Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma And right now we are also extending to Kisi and Migori Yes, as an organization we seek to enhance an holistic well-being of the young people through strategic partnership of integrated mental health services, economic empowerment Decent work under economic growth and also we focus also on disaster risk reduction And also as an organization we do our programs through advocacy We do also our programs through as I've mentioned strategic partnership We do prevention and promotion because our vision is to have an empowered, healthy young person And we also do treatment care and rehabilitation which we are going to speak on much later And we also do training, education, research and capacity building of various groups And so our work most of the time since I've said that Where the vision of the organization came from we focus on families We work with schools, we work with hospitals, we work in the community And we also work with the national and the county government Because as I've said we also do advocacy which means that we need policy makers And we need people upfront to help push for agendas And Tinnada is known for mental health And mental health as we are going to speak it focuses, it cuts across on many things So we also look at it's also apart from mental health it's known for as home of brains So we do brain awareness so on brain awareness we also teach on effects of drugs and substance abuse So most of the time we equip young people with skills When sure they have they can access health services and we and increased health services And we also try to normalize conversations that are usually deemed as tabu in the community So as a gender officer in all that she has said the interesting work you do at Tinnada What is the role of a gender officer in her? Okay you know as she has just mentioned in Tinnada we have different programs that are taking place And as gender officer I always work with all the departments that are within Tinnada youth organization To ensure that all this issue of gender equity is incorporated To all the programs and all the activities that are taking place in Tinnada youth organization And also we I also do the planning with them Then we I will do I will also do the implementation Then I will also be doing follow-ups with them My main work is to make sure that to ensure that all the issues of gender equity Is implemented in all the programs that are in Tinnada youth organization Whitney had mentioned the different counties that you work in So what assessments have you made on the situation around gender based violence along the lake region basin? Yeah along the lake region basin the assessment that we have found is like you see Like now we have we have come to find out that there is this issue of lads We have the issue of informal settlements in Kisumu We find that we have so many slums in Kisumu And in these slums we have come to realize that there are so many issues of gender based violence there So you find that in these slums the issue of gender based violence it is too high And it is really affecting everybody that is there You find in a family you find that these families that are using drugs And you find the parents are also involved in these drugs So it finds a time the children who are in this family This thing that they like from the parent they like this parental care parental attention So you find in this situation the children are also being affected Physical they are affected emotional they are affected Psychologically they are both affected Now within the lake region again we have the issue of now lads When we talk of Nyandu We find that there are so many families that have been displaced from their own original home They have been taken to churches They have been taken to schools And when you go there you find that most of those people who are being affected are women and children Yeah So I think the issues of these lads and informal settlements We need we still need to work on it It still needs our attention The tension of the county government Let's find out how we can these things can be solved The good thing in Tinada we have this program under disaster risk reduction So far they are really working on this We go we meet those families We have a talk to them If there is there any support they need from Azastinada youth organization And we came to realize that as they go through all this These people are their mental well being also need to be taken Well care of So that's how we also after the disaster risk reduction team has gone out there They have identified these people They have gone to homes to schools where they are They will come back They will also come to our psychosocial officers They will talk to them Then from there they will go and meet these families They will need they still need to do this sensitization on mental health They have to talk to them because indeed they are mentally affected What is the relationship between mental health and gender based violence Um whenever disasters happen or wherever we are having this So societal issues that usually go around You usually find that uh Somehow the most affected people will always be children Yes, everyone is affected But those who are highly affected will be children Women and the elderly people So when we are looking at the link between gender based violence and mental health Uh we'll we usually say that there is no health without mental health And most of the time when we talk about mental health We're talking about the well being of a person whereby even in the case of stress You can still be in a position to cope To cope up with the normal day to day stress And still be able to be productive and reach your full potential If you're not well taken care of The next person you will express your frustrations to Will be the next less threatening person So if you're a boss at work it will be employees If you're a man or a woman in the house It will be your next partner or your children So most of the time you realize When you're talking about gender based violence It does not just wake up one morning and it happens It is a pattern of things that has been happening And most of the time you realize it is something that happened to you That you did not take care of And it has gotten to a point whereby it is so classical That now it is the next You're not the only person affected But it's the person next to you who is affected And that is why when something happens Unis will come in and when Unis comes in We also come in and try to find a way Over how to work hand in hand Like for example If a child was violated today Unis comes in and ensures that this child is getting justice Maybe by this perpetrator going to To get a sentence and go to prison As psychologists we come in and we make sure that this child Mental health has been taken care of The immediate family has been taken care of The community where this child is living Is taken care of And this perpetrator is also serving his sentence Speaking of Unis coming in What response measures do you have in place at Tinnada To help me to get cases or such situations When you get that call So for us at Tinnada First thing we do The first response we do We go to the ground We want to see Maybe we have received a case of defilement Case of maybe there is a domestic violence somewhere We will after we have received the referral We go to the ground We see and then we sit with the family members If it's the case of defilement We will sit with the family members We talk, we do the Like we want to know what is happening From there is when we can come back And now we can manage I can be able to identify Now that I've gone through this And I've gone to the ground I've understood what has taken place there What is the next step for me Does this case need just normal cancelling Does it need any further referrals So from there I will be able to identify For this case of defilement They have not gone to the hospital They have not reported the case So from there is when I will talk to the family Now that this child have been defiled We need to go to the hospital We need to go and report this to the police Then as we continue this process That's when I will also get to our psychosocial officers And talk to them Then I will refer the family of this child And the child himself or herself To our psychosocial officers For more cancelling Than so as I continue this legal process So the psychosocial officers will continue their cancelling If the family agrees They can do it one on one They can have that one on one session with the family members With the child Or if they find it difficult to access Our office They can do it online And most of those cases We do advise them to do it To have just one on one Because for the child now To open up You know maybe the place where he is That is at their home It is not maybe safe for her You just understand when a child goes through defilement Maybe the defilement that took place It is from maybe the biological father Brother uncle So you know when he is there And he is seeing those people She can't be able to open up and talk about it So you find our psychosocial officers will go there They will talk to the family They will talk to the child Then we will give a safe space for this child Where she can open up She can talk She can identify the perpetrator So we will defile also to our police And as we continue this legal services We start with also village elders We start with the chief Are you aware of this thing that happens there So we have so many things that we normally do in the community We start with the response Then we come to those measures So yeah Whitney kindly tell me How do you get to How do those calls come in How do you identify these victims or survivors Is there a toll number that you have that people call Or it's just referral to the same We usually handle these cases directly and indirectly Directly fast and foremost It's whereby we are in our When we are doing our work We are in the community And we meet these persons For example maybe I might be Doing a community sensitization Or I might be in a support group And I realize in our sharing There is someone who is broken down When we try to dig in We realize there is an issue of abuse Then we link this person with units As we are also doing our work That is first response Second response is where we get them indirectly Where by as an organization We also have peer educators that we work with And youth champions Who are situated in the various sub counties That we work in If it is Kisumu we have the seven supporters If it is Noma Bay we have 35 champions So we have these persons As they are doing their work They get referrals The referrals they call us Then we go in and take response As units have also mentioned We also work hand in hand With the village elders We work with what that means We work with the chiefs We also work with the police And hospitals Where by when they meet these cases For instance if it is a hospital They may call us to help them to To help this victim get justice Where we are working with Fida If it is in the community They call us to help them link up with The various services that are required So in terms of toll free number We have our psychologist's number Our resident psychologist We have our office number Like Tinnada Youth Organization We have our number 07 7 0 7 1 7 8 9 1 And then we will also share In our social media pages Yes, and then we also work with the county government And the various hospitals that have the Various toll free numbers Can maybe to add on, I think We also have We normally do radio textures On integrated mental health And gender based violence So from there We leave our contacts And we will find That we normally reach many people Through those radio textures Because we will find people calling And we respond to them Even some of the survivors Some of this We normally give them direction Where they can access Our officers to come and report Their issues Okay, so how do cases of gender based violence Affect once mental health Both on a primary level And a secondary level For you as officers And also the victims You know issues of gender based violence These things are not new There are things that have They have always been there And as I talk On my journey as the gender officers On these issues You know there are some situations that When you get a referral You go there to ground You go to ground now You want to see what is happening There are some situations that When you reach there Just seeing them Before even starting to do anything You are already traumatized So sometimes it is a very traumatizing journey But I thank God in Tinnada We have the psychosocial office there Sometimes when you have just the burnout We just go And we have a healthy talk The briefing And from there Then I just say it's okay I have to stand up I still have to move and fight for these people So it is a tough journey But it needs passion If you don't have that passion in you You can't do it Because you will start And on the way You just feel like after all That the ones suffering know to me That stuff Ya So what about the victim? Ya So just before I first talk about the victims Apart from just Unis We are also working with other case managers From other departments From other organizations We offer them also psychosocial support And I think we forgot to mention As an organization Through the various Funded programs that we are having We are offering psychosocial support Pro bono Ya So you come for services Someone is paying for your service Ya So when I talk about How victims are usually affected That the immediate And also the aftermath In the future You find that when When an abuse has happened Or when a violation has happened It could be sexual It could be verbal It could be emotional And financial Those are the various forms of GBV That of gender based violence That usually happens And most of the time We will find that when it happens There is usually the fact that It lowers one's self-esteem When you are talking about The immediate trauma that affects you There is the physical There is the physical injuries That usually happen Which could be managed And some are usually permanent When you are also talking about sexual Violence that happens It could happen to you when you are a child When it will happen to you when you are an adult And sometimes you find that There are those physical injuries that happen If it was you being beaten There are those abuses that happen We have seen kids who have also Who have even been burnt by iron box Who have been burnt by firewood Who have been broken arms This is something that will always stay with you permanent So most of the time We find that when Something traumatic has happened to you It will affect how you sleep Other people start having insomnia It will affect your eating patterns Others even become suicidal With none of people who killed themselves Right? It pushes some to even Since they want to nab the feelings That they are feeling These hard feelings Some will even resort to taking drugs And substance abuse And sometimes you will even find There is the fact It affects even someone's concentration In terms of work Or even in terms of their studies If they are children It lowers one self esteem If it was emotional abuse Or if it was bullying that was taking place And when you are looking at what happens Over time and even later on You will find If it was sexual abuse Someone grows up maybe hating men There are some violence Or some hurt that when they happen to you You will never forget for the rest of your life But when counseling comes in It just helps you know how to Manage So In as much as this we are also talking about The physical and sexual abuse Which is the most common There are these that usually go and hand And hand off of the emotional abuse That also usually happens In relationships, in families Which usually sometimes affect children If it is happening within the immediate family Or if you are an adult It will affect you and your various relationships Nowadays we usually ask Why do you have a lot of young people Who are not married Not interested in relationships If you try to look back There was a lot of abuse That was unspoken of That happened in their past Just to finish How can the community step in To help eradicate gender-based violence And also create awareness on mental health That it's important to take note I think what the community has to do First as the organization We have come to realize that Most people from the community Lack this knowledge They don't have the information On how to go about these issues Of gender-based violence And from there Is when now we have come to We have our The peer educators that she was talking about That are on the ground Then these peer educators They are like the ambassadors Like the link to the community So we normally do this sensitization For these community people To understand Remember if they lack the information There's nothing they can do About the issue of gender-based violence So we have to do the sensitization We need to have the community dialogue with them So we just have a normal talk And then we listen from them We give them time We listen from them Their perception On gender-based violence How do they understand this gender-based violence How do they normally understand The forms of gender-based violence Because you know On this issue of gender-based violence We have come to realize that Most people And most partners They only focus on sexual Gender-based violence While we have physical We have verbal We have this Fisi in emotional We have psychological All those are violence So I think for us We need first to do More sensitization in the community When they have this knowledge with them They will be able to come And speak up We also need to teach them On the referral pathways They have the village elders with them They have the chiefs They have the police You know There is this issue that When gender Violence takes place in the community There is This sugar-coating of like It is a family matter Let us just handle it Within the family Like women are being threatened Now the husband has disfiled You can't go to court with your husband And stand with your husband in the court And you find these things are filing They don't report them So once the community has the Information with them Then work will be easy Because any violation that takes place They will remember They have the information And somebody somewhere Talked about it So for me as units where I sit With my organization I can see we are doing a lot And we have managed to reach So many young vulnerable people That have been violated And tina organization is really doing a lot In the community And we are working with the community Because remember as gender officer I am not only supposed to be working with In the office I have to go to the community Make them aware So within just one statement What can you say What can you add on that? Just in addition There is something that we usually call safety nets Which we are trying to enable them To be there in the communities And in these safety nets What is included in the safety nets Naban is to create issues of food security Where by as an organization We are trying to link them With issues of decent work Economic empowerment We are also looking at empowering communities And families And also increasing the women's social capitals Through insurances And linking them with various programs And activities And also ensuring that There is healthcare response screening As a social support And also linking them With the various supports that they need Thank you so much You're doing an amazing work at Tinada And also individually I know it's not an easy task The passion is needed I myself cannot do it But you can You can keep doing it And let us help our community rise Be your neighbor's keeper Be your own keeper Do not ignore your mental health Do not ignore the Things that are happening in society That you think are not right Say a word The tall numbers are there Call Text SMS Anonimously also You can help someone out there This has been Youth in Action I am Nyongweso Grenis See you next time Thank you